The Reseda Blvd. Great Street Receives an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Association of Environmental Professionals

Text for picture: “Pictured receiving AEP Award for the LA Great Streets Reseda Blvd are Devon Muto, President of the Association of Environmental Professionals; Don Larson, Northridge Sparkle; Semee Park, City of Los Angeles; Mel Mitchell, Porter Ranch Neighborhood Council; Andrea Alvarado, Northridge Sparkle, Linda Dunham, Northridge Sparkle; Dev Vrat, CSUN Urban Studies and Planning Department”


At the Association of Environmental Professionals spring conference in San Diego, the Reseda Blvd. Great Streets project received an outstanding achievement award for its development and execution.  The award acknowledged the participation of the CSUN Department of Urban Studies and Planning, City of LA Great Streets Task Force, City of LA Council District 12, Northridge Neighborhood Council South, Northridge Vision Committee, LA Mas, Northridge Chamber of Commerce, and Museum of the San Fernando Valley in making this first of the fifteen great streets a major success.

Designated LA’s First Great Street by Mayor Eric Garcetti, Reseda Blvd transformed from an aging business corridor and de facto highway to a “Complete Street” with pedestrian and cycling amenities including LA’s first parking-protected bike lane.

Initially, Northridge Sparkle mobilized the community to participate in a series of cleanups the area. Additionally, CSUN’s urban planning students prepared a University District Master Plan, a community-based Urban Design Plan for Reseda Boulevard, and a Gateway Plan for Northridge Village. The overall planning document was prepared by Northridge Vision Group, with the assistance of the three Northridge neighborhood councils, Council District 12 (CD12), the Mulholland Institute and the American Institute of Architects.  It incorporated the CSUN work along with the results of extensive community surveying. Final stage was the adoption of a working plan by the LA City Council.

CD12 obtained funding to retain local community design and outreach firm LA-Mas to help the community refine their vision for the street. Through outreach and design charrettes, the community chose a “Mid Century Modern Living Room” theme, including custom movable street furniture, under-awning art and flagstone paver-inspired sidewalk patterning.

After debuting the new street amenities, the Museum of the San Fernando Valley, and the Northridge Chamber of Commerce joined the working group to form the [RE]visit [RE]seda Blvd partnership which won the ioby Challenge Grant to “bring the arts to the Great Street.” The partnership has produced three events so far and continues to program the outdoor living room.

The AEP Awards jury applauded this outstanding project for giving "real world" experience to university planning students using a unique approach of incorporating their work into real world community design. It created a synergy of grass roots tactical urbanism, university community engagement and urban design, community and city policy making to drive urban renewal and economic vitality. The student designs were incorporated into a major Vision Plan for the San Fernando Valley and adopted by the Los Angeles City Council. More community partners joined to fund community events in the new public outdoor living room. This is an outstanding example of town and university planning, public outreach, community involvement and partnerships among all stakeholders, an excellent demonstration of what successful collaboration can accomplish.